A place to share my voice on important issues: Celebrating our seniors, grief and loss, middle age, infertility, depression, anxiety and learning to live fully! Faith, ministry, international adoption and special needs. Here's to finding our voices and using them!

Welcome To valeriesvoice!

I have been thinking about this blog for so long. This was a dream of mine for a good couple of years-yes, years! For as long as I can remember, I have gotten in my own way. I have remained quiet when I wanted to speak up, have burned with deep conviction about certain issues and kept my unique perspectives to myself. Oh I have written many things, but mostly kept them to myself. I hesitated for a long time, thinking I would start sharing these essays and poems when I knew more about blogging, writing, publishing, etc. The truth is, I was afraid. Afraid to fail and make a fool of myself. Afraid of what others might think. Afraid I was not good enough at writing or navigating the set-up.

Here’s the trouble with perfectionism: It can silence your own voice. It can lie to you and tell you that you don’t even have a voice. It can ruin your life and rob you of so much more you could be enjoying! I know this, because I let the pursuit of perfection keep me from trying new things for many years. Since I turned forty (five and a half years ago), I have taken on many new hobbies and found interests that give me so much joy. Had I kept on being afraid to fail, I wouldn’t get to enjoy these new things. I may not be perfect at everything I do, but that will not stop me from living my life and having fun along the way.

So this blog is me, letting my voice be heard. I will share blogs mainly about adoption, grief and loss, aging and spirituality, anxiety/depression, advocacy for seniors and orphans. Some of it will be “heavy” and some, more lighthearted. Some of it will share spiritual truths I learned through my own experiences. I will share pieces of my story related to all the above, hoping that many of you will be able to relate to some of it.

I am writing for anybody that has ever felt voiceless. I know I am not the only one. Even though I have experience with the topics above, I am just now learning about blogging for the first time. Come along on this journey with me!

I would love to know who you are as well, and I need your help! If you like what you see here, follow my blog by leaving your email address to receive notifications on new posts. Hit “like,” share a comment, ask a question. Better yet, share this blog or its contents with someone else you think would enjoy it.

A place to share my voice on important issues: Celebrating our seniors, grief and loss, middle age, infertility, depression, anxiety and learning to live fully! Faith, ministry, international adoption and special needs. Here's to finding our voices and using them!

I am the Chief Meteorologist at FOX 9 in Minneapolis; I love my life, love my wife, love my daughters and love my dog...kinda like the cat. I lost a third of my lower lip to squamous cell cancer in 2016...it is now early 2017 and this blog will hopefully serve as my therapuetic writing journey through topical chemotherapy treatment

This is a medium to share my global experience, random thoughts and others’ viewpoints on local and universal issues. It’s an opportunity to learn our differences and similarities, build a sense of community and offer solutions, if possible. Think of conversations over meals, drinks or during seaside walk.